


Restoration

by BrokenBookAddict



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 4x23, Alternate Ending, Angst, Break Up, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Love, One Shot, Romance, Secret Relationship, SnowHarry, Snowells, Team as Family, post ep, reassurance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24650038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenBookAddict/pseuds/BrokenBookAddict
Summary: If it's real, it will never be over.
Relationships: Caitlin Snow/Earth-2 Harrison "Harry" Wells
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	Restoration

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the Flash. I do own any errors.

For a spilt moment denial sets in hard and fast to deny the events unfolding before her very eyes, because surely that cannot simply be it? Especially after everything they've been through to get to this moment. The pain, the struggle, the heartache.... 

Seriously?

There's a moments pause that follows after he suddenly bids farewell then disappears out of the work room, where she just stands almost immobilised at what just happened and at how quickly it had transpired. Eventually, after what feels like hours in a stupified daze but what in reality is only seconds, she leaves the others behind and makes a dash for the door. 

"So that's it?" She asks harshly, her voice slightly raised to cover the distance to where she just caught him in perfect time before he disappeared around the corner out of view. 

He stops and turns at the sound of her voice but he doesn't offer a reply in return. 

"Why are you doing this?" 

"Doing what?" 

Irritation rises up at such an alarming rate and she shakes her head, trying to keep her composure. "Don't, not after everything. I literally begged you and still, you pulled away. I had to stand back and watch..." she pauses, at the thought of him only moments ago. "You wouldn't let me in and you're doing the same now." 

He shakes his head, moving down the hallway so they're closer, where neither have to raise their voice to be heard. "I need to see Jesse."

Her features soften and she sighs. "And that is perfectly understandable. I get it, I do but that isn't my argument here."

"Then what is?" 

She serves him a look which plainly says not to play games. Because _fuck_ _that_. "What about us?" 

"Caitlin." 

This time she fails to hold her composure and rightly so. "Don't Caitlin me Harry," she snaps harshly. "You're doing the same thing you did before. Pushing me away and leaving." 

Harry runs a hand through his hair, a clear sign of when he's annoyed, agitated, tired, stressed out or just simply, all of the above. "I'm doing... I'm doing what's right." 

Caitlin's eyes never waver from him, boldly holding his gaze captive. "Right for who exactly?" 

His answer is immediate. "For you." 

Fury rushes up to battle with the irritation already in place, creating a deadly combination. "You don't get to make that decision. Especially when there's no decision to make. I love you, it's that simply." 

"No it isn't, because you don't." 

The sadness on his face, the defeat in his eyes... it simply rocks her world for a moment, then she registers exactly what he said. Confusion clouds her beautiful features. "What? What are you talking about? I-I..." 

He takes a step forward again and this time the agitation is rolling in waves from his direction. "Caitlin, I'm... not the same man I was before."

"Harry..." she tries to inject but fails at cutting him off because he steamrolls ahead. 

"I'm not and I don't think I'll ever be." He makes sure to stress the latter, making her aware that this is the reality he now faces. 

But it only falls upon deaf ears. Her defiance resolute. "You're still you Harry." 

He shakes his head. "No. I'm not." 

Caitlin bites her lip, feeling tears sting her eyes. 

The sight of her on the verge of tears squeezes painfully around his heart, especially with the knowledge that the fault rests solely with him. "I'm not the man you fell in love with." 

It hits her like a freight train, blindsiding her out of nowhere. It hurts. She never thought she'd ever hear those words and it kills her because it's wrong. She steps in closer, so there's only a small gap sepeating them. Her tear filled gaze locks onto his, making sure to hold his attention when she speaks, making sure he sees the truth buried within her soul. "I don't know what I can say to make you believe you are....what can I say to make you believe I love you?" She pauses to change tactic. "But why can't the same be said for you then? If you're so different, maybe your feelings have changed, maybe you don't love me anymore."

Harry clenches his jaw, obviously bothered by the accusation. "That isn't-- you know that isn't true." 

Caitlin shrugs, playing him at his own game. "Do I? Really? How can I be sure?"

Whether he's aware of it or not, he's walking straight into her trap. 

It takes him a minute, looking to the floor as he finds the words he needs, before he looks back to the woman before him. "Through all of this, the thinking cap, the dark matter and losing my-- mind, you were there like a lifeline, even after I walked away. My feelings for you never changed despite everything." 

Caitlin throws her hands up in exasperation. "Then why can't you accept the same from me? Why can't you accept I still love you, that I never stopped, it never wavered and it never will. Harry..." she stops and blinks at him, studying his handsome face. 

"I don't--" 

The tears she's fought so hard to keep at bay finally break free. "Nothing has changed and nothing will." She tells him firmly through tears, before going on to remind him. "When we started this, after everything we'd both gone through, we promised each other to always be there and to never hurt one another." 

"Caitlin..." The memory of that first night flashes at the forefront of his nearly restored mind, the emotion of that night so acute that it's stifling. He still remembers the emotion of that night, how it felt to have her beneath him for the first time, her body moving against his, her lips brushing his... it had felt like nothing he'd ever experienced and since, he's been addicted to everything that is Caitlin. 

"You broke the promise when you left me Harry... don't do it again, please." She isn't above begging, not for something this important, because this is everything. The last few months have been _so_ _goddamn_ _hard_. "You're breaking my heart," she admits on a whisper. 

And just like that, she breaks his. "I don't ever want to hurt you." 

Caitlin simply shrugs. "Then don't."

It really can't be that simply, can it? 

"I'm not who I once was." 

The gap feels unbearable in that moment and she closes it almost instantly. Her hands slide up his chest to curl into his jacket and she pulls him tighter against her.

"Yes, you are. You're Harrison Wells, a man from Earth 2, who's beautiful and brilliant mind has created ground breaking scientific research and advances. A man who has such a big heart beneath the gruff exterior, who cares about his friends and his family, who protects them no matter the cost. A heart that holds so much love. So what if one outweighs the other now? It doesn't matter. The man I fell in love with is still in here, in both his head and his heart. This, between us, is real and powerful and I don't want to lose it again." 

Harry stares at her, staring at her like he doesn't believe it possible for her to be real. "You really believe that?"

"I do." 

How determined, strong and sincere those two simple words are, is enough to convince him that what she's telling him is the absolute truth. He has to trust her to know how she feels and what she wants. The darkness of his fears die in the lightness of her love. "I'm sorry, I--" 

Through her tears, she huffs a soft laugh. "I know." 

For a very long time they stare at one another before he surrounds her in his arms, hugging her close. They sway slightly as they grip one another, fearing the other could potentially disappear if the embrace were to weaken. 

Again, when Harry pulls back he stares at her. "I love you," he tells her softly, needing her to know. 

"Oh Harry, I love you too." 

Her tears nearly start a new when he leans in to press his mouth against hers. It feels like forever since they did this last and she can remember the exact last time, standing in the med bay where he kissed her good night. The next day everything changed but now, she doesn't wish to dredge it up. Instead she focuses on the taste of him as his tongue slides into her mouth, his scent invading her senses, the feel of his unruly hair as she curls her fingers into it, the sturdy press of his body against hers. It's soft and it's slow and it's everything, just everything.... 

Eventually Harry pulls away and it pleases her to see how reluctant he is. 

"I really do need to see Jesse."

She smiles softly at him and nods in complete understanding. "I know, of course. I just need you to come back soon." 

But he shakes his head. "No." 

Anxiety wraps around her heart. "You--"

Bright blue eyes look down at her. "Come with me." 

She laughs. "What?" He can't be serious. 

Except he is. "Come with me to Earth 2." 

How she wants to, so very much but this, right now, is something important he needs to do with his daughter. They have so much to discuss and work through. It's such a tempting offer and as much as she wants to, there's only one answer she can give. "No. You need to see Jesse and you guys need to talk. Do that, take some time to spend together.... then maybe I could come in a few days. 

"That sounds good. Jesse would love to see you." 

"I'd like to see her too and to see more of your world. I've only ever seen a forest and cliff top liar. You'll have to show me something exciting." 

"I think I'll come up with something to interest you." He smirks and it grows when she smacks his chest. "If you're sure."

"I am." She closes the miniscule gap to kiss him softly. Resting her forehead against his afterward. "I love you, you stubborn, foolish man."

A thumb brushes along her lower lip. "I'll see you in a few days." 

"You will," she smiles, feeling reluctant to let him go. "Bye, Harry." 

She stands by and watches him walk away, her heart feeling a lot lighter than it had minutes ago. He's back and he's better and yes, he's leaving but with the assurance that she has him back. That's all she wanted. When he began to show signs of deterioration, she could do nothing to convince him it was her right to stand by him, to be there as he went through what he had. Every argument meant nothing because his decision had been made. Their relationship was over and it killed her. It hurt far more than she anticipated because she hadn't expected it. But now the hurt she's been carrying is healing and in a few short days she'll be with him, just like she yearns for. 

When Caitlin turns around to head back into the workroom, she pauses in the doorway when she finds Barry, Iris and Cisco staring back at her. 

_Oh_...

She'd forgotten they were there and clearly her and Harry hadn't been as quiet as she thought. _Fuck_. Quite clearly, they had heard everything said between them in the hall and quite clearly they had an abundance of questions.

The only question she had, was who would be the one to crack first? 

Caitlin waited and waited....

It doesn't come as much a surprise when it's Iris, the reporter in her needing every answer to every question as the boys stare back at her, obviously still rather shocked by this new information. She's quite proud her and Harry managed all this time without their privacy being corrupted by inquisitive friends. 

"So, you and Harry." 

She sighs, knowing this is probably going to take a while. "What do you want to know?" 

"Everything," Iris answers immediately, startling the all with her eagerness. "But why don't we start at the beginning?" 

Cisco, for the first time, enters the conversation. "I think I speak for Barry as well, when I say we don't want to know _everything_." 

"Well I do," Iris shoots him down, giving him a glare not to spoil it. 

"Well keep those questions for after we leave." 

Iris narrows her eyes, a dangerous teasing in her eyes. "I don't know, maybe from what Caitlin has to say, you could both learn something." 

Both men looked affronted at the suggestion. 

Caitlin laughs softly. "Let's get some coffee, and I'll answer whatever you want to know." 

"Excellent." 

Wariness fills her as Iris moves toward her to slip an arm through her own to lead the way out, not wasting anytime. The boys trail reluctantly behind. 

Caitlin fears this is going to be a long conversation, she only wishes Harry was here to help her out. Though knowing him, he'd probably just sit there, a frown plastered on his face and a glare in his eyes, as he waits for the end to come. 

The idea of her trip in a few days carries her on. A conversation between friends isn't so bad, especially when she gets to talk about the man she loves. 

How quickly things have changed and all for the better. Thank God. The alternative is unbearable to think of and thankfully, Caitlin no longer has too. 

The end. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! ❤


End file.
